The press conference at the AdventHealth Training Center on Thursday was unlike any the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had held before. It was simultaneously a celebration of Bruce Arians’ time as head coach and his transition into a new role and a traditional introduction of a new head coach in Todd Bowles.
And it even featured an unexpected bombshell.
Buccaneers Owner/Co-Chairman began the proceedings by, as he said, taking a “few moments to reflect on the impact that Bruce has had on our franchise.” Three minutes into that reflection, after noting that his family, everybody in the organization and the Bay area community was “eternally grateful” for what Arians had done, Glazer demonstrated that gratitude with a grand announcement: Arians will be inducted into the Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium this fall.
Arians will become the 14th member of the Ring of Honor when his name is added to the stadium façade during a game in the 2022 season. He will be the fourth coach on that list, joining former Head Coaches John McKay and Tony Dungy and long-time defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.
“That was a little bit of a shock,” said Arians, who had no idea the announcement was coming. “I had no intentions of getting emotional, but that got me. You do things in life and you get rewarded with something like that that never goes away, and it’s huge. It’s huge for our family and I’m looking forward to the day now.”
Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon was the first person inducted into the Ring of Honor in a 2009 in-game ceremony, 25 years after he had played his final game. McKay was honored posthumously the following year, and subsequent Ring of Honor selections generally got their names on the stadium a number of years after their Buccaneer careers had ended. Arians’ honor will be unique, as he not only goes into the Ring immediately after his last year on the sideline but will still be a senior football consultant on the Bucs’ staff when it happens.
“Without a…